No Karvan-e-Aman bus to POK for second week

Srinagar, Mar 11 : The Karvan-e-Aman bus, operating between Srinagar and Muzaffarabad, capital of Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) remained suspended for the second week on Monday, official sources said.

We have received information that cross-Line of Control (LoC) bus service will remain suspended for the second consecutive week, sources said.

Last week the bus was suspended due to holiday on account of Mahashivratri festival, they said, adding that we were told a bridge was under repair on the Uri-Muzaffarabad road, therefore bus will not run.

They said passengers, who were scheduled to travel in the bus were informed accordingly on Sunday.

However, the passengers, who were scheduled to travel in the bus on March 4 and today will be accommodated in the next bus from both sides, they added. The number of guests from PoK decreases during winter when the mercury dips below freezing point.

Mercury increases during summer when the weather remained pleasant in Kashmir. Similarly, number of people travelling during winter goes up and drops in summer.

The cross-LoC bus has helped thousands of families, divided in 1947 due to partition, to meet each other since April 7, 2005 when India and Pakistan government agreed to allow these families to travel on “Travel Permits” instead of International Passports.

However, state subjects from both sides are allowed to travel in the bus only after their names are cleared by intelligence agencies. (UNI)